Jealousy
by mcdreamy1992
Summary: New York's elite seem to have it all, popularity, riches, good looks, yet those are not enough to buy love. And that is something everyone of them lack. Awful summary but better story. Rating on the safe side. NASVDW CBBW JHEVDW DHVA LVDWRH
1. Chapter 1

Dear Serena,

**Sorry I haven't written a Gossip Girl fic in a while, but tell me what you think of this. And please review!**

Dear Serena,

Why did you run away? We could have sorted this out! You didn't need to desert me like that. What am I supposed to do now? I love you. I always have and I always will. Blair and you running away to Connecticut doesn't change that. All it does is make me miss you more and make me realize how vital you truly are to me. Don't you understand? Blair is not the one for me! You are. But I guess you'll never know that because, like all my other letters, this letter won't be sent. I'm too scared to, scared of you and scared of Blair, but know this, I love you and only you with all my heart.

All my love, Nate

Nathaniel Archibald threw down his pen after writing yet another love letter to Serena van der Woodsen, his girlfriend's best friend. They had always been a trio, the best looking, the richest, most popular people in New York's elite. Serena had beautiful long tresses, like spun gold which framed her perfect face with her lovely blue eyes. In contrast Blair had glossy brown hair with sparkling brown eyes. People usually thought that he and Serena were a couple since they looked so perfect together. Yet Blair, who was always obsessed with things looking perfect together had decided that Nate was the guy for her. Blair always planned everything, from the outfits she would wear the next day to the wedding between her and Nate that he had decided would never take place, but it would never do to tell her his decision. Suddenly his phone lit up. He picked it up quickly, checking the caller ID and flipping it open in the same graceful fluid motion.

"Hello?"

"Nathaniel, have you heard?" Chuck's voice sounded in his ear.

"Heard what?" Nate was in no mood to play games with his best friend.

"Serena's back with a mysterious new guy in tow. What do you say to that? That girl attracts men like bees to honey." Chuck laughed, but Nate's heart plummeted, but he could not let Chuck know that so he answered,

"Good for her. Is she…coming to the party?"

If Chuck noticed his hesitation his tone gave no sign of it as he replied,

"No, Blair expressly forbade it. She wants to prevent Serena from re-entering society."

Nate laughed along, thinking that it was a joke. After all Blair would never dare to do such a thing and to her best friend no less. Chuck must be joking, but he would make sure that she was invited anyway. He dialled the number that he knew off by heart.

"Hello?" the familiar voice said.

"Serena? I...uh heard that you had come back."

"Nate?" Was it just him or was there a tinge of sadness when she said his name? "Yeah, I'm back from Connecticut. How are you?"

"I'm good. Listen, there's a party tonight at Chuck's father's hotel. You're coming right?"

There was a pause before she asked,

"I'm coming if my boyfriend can come as well."

His heart broke at the word 'boyfriend' yet he agreed. He would do anything if it meant he could see Serena again. He wondered what this mysterious new guy looked like. Without even knowing his name Nate was intensely jealous of him and wanted to know every detail about him. Sighing, he rose to get ready to face his girlfriend, the love of his life, and most daunting of all…his unknown and unaware rival for Serena's affections.

x-x-x

Serena leaned over to kiss her boyfriend, smiling. It felt good to be back in her home city. She had missed it so much after she had left, but it had been necessary after what had happened between her and Nate. But being back felt like a huge weight was taken off her shoulders especially with her new boyfriend. Yet even whilst she thought this she thought of Nate, whom she had pretended not to love for so long. She shook her head and flicking her long blonde hair she informed her boyfriend,

"We're going to a party tonight. You'll get to meet my friends here."

He laughed.

"I'll be glad to meet them. I barely know anything about you from when you lived here and I want to know everything about you."

"That's so romantic, Jake!" Serena laughed delightedly. Jake grinned, but his phone rang and he checked the caller ID it faded. He rejected the call causing Serena to ask him who it was. Jake shrugged and kissed her.

"No one. You don't need to worry about it."

Serena briefly wondered why he was being so secretive about it, but all those thoughts were dashed from her mind when he pulled her onto the bed and started to tickle her.

x-x-x

Chuck turned lazily to the beautiful brunette sitting next to him. He asked,

"How do you intend to destroy the most popular girl in New York?"

Blair smiled nastily.

"I'm just as popular as her aren't I?"

Chuck was silent, neither confirming nor denying. Blair began to get angry.

"You think she's more popular than me!"

Chuck answered smoothly,

"You're beautiful, but she's gorgeous. You're uptight and she's easygoing. You're snobbish and she's kind and generous. You're bossy and interfering and she knows when to mind her own business. She's bound to be more popular than you and if you don't know that then you're a fool."

"Well then since she's so amazing why don't you go and swell the ranks of her worshippers? I'm sure your time would be better spent there than here with me," Blair said bitchily. He sighed long-sufferingly.

"Who ever said that I like her?"

Blair laughed scathingly.

"You don't like anyone but yourself Bass!"

"We're one of a kind then," Chuck retorted. And it was true. They were one of a kind, both of them vindictive and manipulative. Their enjoyment of making their enemies suffer meant that there was a bond between them that nothing could break despite their refusal to admit to it and their professed hate of each other. Yet in times of trouble it was to each other they would always turn because they understood each so well.

x-x-x

"Has your sister been in to see you?" Lily van der Woodsen askedof her son, Eric. He had the same blond hair and good looks that was characteristic of both his mother and his sister. Yet there was something very different about him. He was a profound boy for his age and sensible in a way that Lily and Serena, with their frivolous tendencies, could never be. As Eric answered his mother's question he absently rubbed at the bandages that hid and at the same time exposed the marks of his depression from the world.

"Yeah. She visited, but she didn't bring her boyfriend along unfortunately, but I guess she was trying to be sensitive."

Lily smiled, but answered,

"Well thank God she had the good sense not to bring him in. This is a family affair and it does not need to be paraded in front of the world, especially not in front of Serena's first serious boyfriend."

Despite her good intentions Eric was stung.

"I'm sorry I'm such an object of shame, Mother," he said mockingly. Lily winced at his sarcastic tone and tried to soothe him, but to no avail. Serena had always been better with dealing with him. It seemed that no matter what she did, Lily always managed to put her foot in her mouth when it came to her children. After a long awkward silence Eric said, somewhat calmer, but still angry,

"You're going to accept Bart Bass's proposal, aren't you?"

Lily nodded and said gently,

"He's a nice man and you'll like him once you give him a chance. I'm sure of it…and you need a father figure. You've gone so long without one and sometimes I wonder if that's a mistake. I mean you tried to commit suicide and Serena…gets into trouble all the time. I sure it's because of your lack of a father figure."

Eric was not convinced and didn't scruple to tell his mother so.

"I don't like him and Serena doesn't either. Oh I know he's rich Mother, but aren't you rich enough without needing his money?"

Lily was disgusted by her son's words. She rebuked him,

"How dare you say that I'm marrying him for his money! I would never! And you and Serena just need to get over your prejudices of him because I am going to marry him whether you like it or not. He's a good man and I don't appreciate the two of you casting aspersions on either him or me. It is not your place!"

Furiously she picked up her bag and left the room, but not before an exasperated Eric shouted at her,

"It is our place because we're going to have to live with him."

Eric sank down on his bed, exhausted as usual by his mother's visit.

x-x-x

"Dan, tell Mom and Dad that I'm going to visit Eric. He's sent me an SOS," Jenny called out as she walked out the door. As soon as the door had closed behind her, Dan turned his laptop back on, jut to look on Gossip Girl to see the news of Serena van der Woodsen, the love of his life. He had fallen for her during his first year at his prestigious school and despite the fact that she didn't even realize that he existed, he continued to be in love with her. At first Jenny had teased him but after a while she became bored of it. Nevertheless he made sure she never found anything about Serena on his laptop or in his room. He was in the middle of staring at her picture when a voice came from behind him.

"Humphrey, stop staring at your computer screen. We're going out to catch a movie."

Dan swivelled around in his chair to face his best friend. Vanessa was not pretty in a conventional way yet there was something striking in her curly brown hair and her twinkling brown eyes. He readily fell I with her suggestion as it provided a chance of escaping from an afternoon of sighing over his unrequited love. Quickly scribbling a note to his mother and father, he grabbed his coat before climbing out of the fire escape in his room.

x-x-x

"You're still in love with that woman! Why can't you forget her, Rufus? Why can't you be content with me?" Alison yelled, exasperated. They were having yet another argument and although she knew she was merely pushing him away, she couldn't stop. Thoughts and images of that other woman always haunted her mind when she looked at her husband. Rufus sighed.

"Why are you so jealous of Lily? I'm not married to her. I'm married to you! I chose you over her!"

"But you don't love me as you love her. You only married me because you couldn't marry her. You love her and I'm sure that she loves you back and now she's free."

"She's dating Bart Bass!"

"Not because she loves him! If you showed the slightest interest she would come running to you like a puppy dog!" Alison screamed. Rufus began to say something, but by then she had already stormed out of the room. He let out a long breath, tired of his wife's insecurities, tired of their arguments and tired of having to defend Lily to his wife. He had not talked properly with Lily during the many years he had been married, yet Alison still believed that Lily held a more prominent place in his heart than she did. But they were so different and the love he had for Lily had been a naïve love…the love one held when they thought that they were invincible and that anything in the world was possible. He was more cynical than that now and he understood that Lily belonged in the past and Alison in the present. Yet might not Lily somehow become part of his future?


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry it's been a little while since I posted

_Sorry it's been a little while since I posted. I won't be able to be that regular in my posts because of work, but I will try. Thank you for all the reviews so far and please continue to review!_

Blair narrowed her eyes as she saw Serena walk in with a guy. That slut was not supposed to come to the party. She made her way swiftly to the side of Chuck and furiously asked him,

"What the hell is she doing here? Did you invite her?"

Chuck was perplexed for a moment as to who had roused her fury, but then seeing the beautiful blonde understood and said lazily,

"No, I did not invite her. Your boyfriend must have. I don't think that he would have been very happy with you if she had not come."

Blair gave him a confused look before realizing Chuck must have told Nate about her comments on Serena. She said coldly,

"My boyfriend knows my feelings about Serena van der Woodsen. I do not need you to tell him."

Chuck shrugged, not bothering to argue with the brunette. As Serena unknowingly approached Blair stepped in her way with an unpleasant smile.

"Serena! How…pleasant to see you again!"

Serena, not fooled for a moment, replied,

"Blair. It's…nice to see you too."

"Who is this man? Your new boyfriend of the day?"

Serena smiled sourly, knowing that Blair did not enough self-control to restrain from incivility for more than two sentences. She answered back calmly,

"No, this is my boyfriend, Jake. We've been together almost from the first moment I arrived in Connecticut. He helped me stop missing my friends here."

Blair snorted, not very elegantly.

"Friends? What friends?"

Serena was unfazed.

"Nate, Isabel, Kati…mostly the people who suck-up to you and make you think that you have friends."

"Nate is my boyfriend last time I checked."

"Because you're so domineering and pushy that he can't be bothered to gainsay you, but tell me, Blair, how affectionate is he?"

Blood rushed to Blair's cheeks, but she refused to acknowledge the hit.

"I will destroy you, Serena. Your life here in New York is over. Do you understand me? Over!"

Serena laughed mockingly.

"Blair, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm more popular than you…maybe because I'm nicer than you. Maybe if you try that you could succeed…but no. You'd have to be prettier and smarter than me, which you will never be, Blair. You will never oust me from my spot in New York society. So don't be stupid enough to try just like I'm not stupid enough to do that to you."

Breathing heavily Blair turned on her heel and walked away, head held high. Chuck leaned in and breathed in Serena's ear,

"You're done with, slut."

Then he walked off after Blair. For a moment Serena was confused as to why Chuck was acting like that, but then realized the truth and it set her laughing. She turned to Jake and smiled a million watt smile at him. Grabbing his hand she suggested softly,

"Let's dance."

x-x-x

Nate walked in and immediately saw her dancing with an unknown guy. She looked up and smiled as she saw him. She said something quickly to the guy and started to pull him towards Nate.

"Nate! How great to see you! How are you?"

He felt weak in her presence and said quietly,

"We missed you here, Serena. I wish that you hadn't left."

Serena looked away.

"You know I had to. You know why."

"I didn't care. You didn't even talk to me about it."

There was nothing Serena could say. An awkward silence settled and then Jake stuck out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Serena's boyfriend, Jake."

Nate shook his hand.

"Nate Archibald. How do you know Serena?"

Before Jake could reply Blair had sidled up to Nate and kissed him, unaware of the other two's presence. Nate flinched slightly and said to her,

"Blair, hi…have you seen Serena and her boyfriend Jake?"

Blair smiled fakely.

"No! Serena, oh my god, how are you? I've missed you so much!"

She tried to hug Serena, but Jake held her back and hissed,

"You must have forgotten. Shall I remind you? You basically called her a slut, then told her she had no friends and then told her that you would destroy her and that her life in New York was over. Did I miss anything, Serena?"

Serena shook her head and Blair was stopped dead in her tracks. Nate looked at his girlfriend in horror. Blair laughed nervously.

"That's completely false. I would never do that, Nate! Honestly, you know me better than that!"

Serena cried,

"Seriously Blair? You're now calling my boyfriend a liar? You said those things and you can't deny them just because Nate is now here."

Blair suddenly turned and slapped Serena. A hush fell over those closest to the four of them. Serena slowly turned back to face Blair, but instead of striking her back, said maliciously,

"You're losing your touch, aren't you, B? Now you're so vulgar that you fight physically instead of verbally. What, have you finally realized that you can't best me?"

Blair turned to Nate for protection from these taunts, but his face was unyielding. Slowly he said,

"Serena. Please let me deal with this." After Serena had subsided he said in a deadly quiet voice, "I cannot believe that you would do these things. First saying what you did to Serena and then slapping her. She is your best friend. She has stood by you in so many disasters and yet when she's done nothing wrong, you do your utmost to alienate her. If you do that to your best friend, what could you do to your boyfriend?"

Blair had tears streaming down her face now.

"Nate…"

He cut her off.

"I'm leaving now and I don't want you following me, but you aren't going to say anything to Serena or her boyfriend either. You've done enough."

He walked out, leaving a broken-hearted Blair behind. Whispers ran through the crowd wondering if New York's most famous couple were breaking up. Looking around, Blair found no friendly faces in the crowd for Nate and Serena were universally popular. She ran out, unable to stay a moment longer.

x-x-x

_Ding dong!_ Anne Archibald answered the doorbell swiftly and smiled when she saw who was the visitor.

"Blair! Come on in! How are you?"

Blair smiled back weakly.

"I'm fine thanks. Um…is Nate in?"

Anne shook her head but said,

"No, but if you wait in his room, I think he's coming back soon."

Blair nodded and made her way upstairs. For a few minutes she just stood in the centre of the room awkwardly. Then a bundle of letters lying on Nate's desk caught her attention. Glancing around surreptitiously to check that no one was coming in, she grabbed them and opened the first one.

'_Dearest Serena,_

_Please come back to me. I miss you so much. And I know why you ran away and I respect that, but what we did…I know that you feel that it was a betrayal of Blair, but I never felt it as that. And I can't. It just felt so right as it never could with Blair. I love you so much and you not being here…it's like I can't breathe. Help me breathe again. You're the one for me Serena, not Blair and no matter where in the world you are, whether you're in China or England or Connecticut, you'll always be the one for me, so please please please come back to me._

_ Yours until we die, Nate_

Blair's breath hitched and frantically she opened and read the next letter…and the next…and the next… and the next…until she had read all of them. And in each of the three little words that Nate could never bring himself to say to him were written.

"Blair?"

She looked up to see the very man who had written these letters. She looked at him and breathed,

"Nate."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry a bit of a shorter chapter, but please review.**

_I realized that I haven't put a disclaimer on. Well I unfortunately don't own any of Gossip Girl as much as I would love to._

Nate had been out walking the whole morning, replaying last night over and over again in his mind. He couldn't get the image of that Jake person out of his head. What did Serena see in him? He had forgotten how beautiful Serena was in the flesh. It wasn't just her physical attributes that made her so perfectly imperfect…there was a sparkle and a fire in her that nothing could ever put out and that shined out. That was what drew people to her like moths to a flame. Soon he found himself in front of his house again and decided that he could continue ruminating in his room. After all there he could at least look through his pictures of Serena. But when he walked in, his mother accosted him and informed him,

"Nathaniel, Blair is in your room. She's been waiting for you for a while. Where have you been?"

Nate didn't answer as he knew that his mother probably didn't really want to know where he had been. He sighed mentally when he heard that Blair was waiting for him. The last person he wanted to see right now was the beautiful brunette. She could never compare with Serena and the things that she had said to her best friend last night were too awful to just forget easily. But when he walked into his room Blair was standing by his desk, holding his letters. She breathed,

"Nate."

Shocked, he didn't say or do anything for a moment, but then he strode forward and grabbed the papers out of her hand. He asked quietly,

"What are you doing here, Blair?"

"Do you mean them?" Blair gestured to the letters, needing to know. All this time she had given her heart to him and all this time he had spurned her heart, wanting someone else's. She felt like an iron vice was being placed around her, squeezing everything out of her except those three words pounding in her head. Nate was silent for a long time. Then he reached out and stroked her tears away, saying gently,

"You are a great girl, but yes I love Serena. I've always loved her, but you were so insistent on every aspect of our relationship and so I didn't have to take a hand in the relationship and that was fine with me before. But with Serena, I would want to have a say in everything and she would let me and I…do love her. I can't lie. I'm sorry."

Blair digested this piece of information, unable to decide what to do. At length she said,

"Ok."

Nate was incredulous. Ok? That was all Blair was going to say? Didn't she understand? He realized that he was going to have to spell it out for her since Blair was so in love with him she was willing to try to stay in this relationship just in the hope that he would fall in love with her eventually, but didn't she understand that he never would? He said,

"Blair, I'm not sure if you understand. This love I have for Serena won't fade…and I'm sorry if this hurts you, but it's not going to transfer to you either. So I think we should…take a break."

Blair gasped; she couldn't even breathe properly now. He was raining down blow after blow and there was nothing she could do about it. After all how can you beg a guy to be your boyfriend?

"So that's it? You're just going to throw away this relationship?"

"I'm not throwing it away. I've thought long and hard about this and you know that I would never ever try to hurt you, but I can't do this. It's a lie and I think that you know it."

Blair walked up to him.

"I will never think that this relationship is a lie. I love you and you love me. You just are infatuated with that slut. But don't worry." She smoothed his shirt. "I'll be waiting for you when you come back to me."

Nate was unbelieving.

"Blair, you can't boss around my feelings. You can't control everything and you sure as hell don't know if I love you or not. And trust me I'm not infatuated with anyone. I was only infatuated with you at the beginning of our relationship. That soon passed. Serena is not a slut and I'll never come back to you. Not after all that's happened. So please leave."

Nate stepped away from her and opened the door to his room. Blair stood like she had been turned to stone, unable to believe what Nate had just said to her. Impatiently Nate began to drag her towards the door, though still taking care to be gentle with her. Suddenly she shook the blonde's hand off and walked out with her head high. Nate sighed and, closing the door, fell back onto his bed. Dealing with Blair was always exhausting and breaking up with her even more so. This was why he had always stayed in this relationship, but Serena had given him the strength to break up with her. Serena. He needed to hear her voice right now. He dialled her number and heard her much-loved voice.

"Nate?"

"Serena…I needed to talk to you."

"Hey. What's up?"

Suddenly he didn't know where to begin.

"I…broke up with Blair."

She was immediately solicitous.

"Are you alright? Oh my god, Nate. I'm so sorry for you."

"The time was long past. We had grown apart and I couldn't bear the way she tried to control everything and…I just don't love her the way she loves me and I never can. God knows how hard I tried, but I can't do it."

"Nate it doesn't have anything to do with…"

He was silent, giving her the confirmation she needed, but before she could say another word, he said brusquely,

"I have to go, Serena. I'll…talk to you later."

He hung up quickly, knowing that his confession of love was just on the tip of his tongue. And he could never tell her that he loved her when she had a boyfriend. It would be too unfair on her.


	4. Chapter 4

_So lots of GCSE coursework which unfortunately means less posts and shorter chapters. Sorry. But please review!_

"What have you thought of my proposal, Lily?" Bart asked the blonde as they were eating a lovely dinner at his hotel. Slowly she placed her fork onto her plate and wiped her mouth with her napkin. For a long time she did not reply, yet it did not seem like Bart was in any suspense at all. Finally she said,

"I have thought about it a lot as it doesn't just concern me. It concerns my children as well, but I have decided to accept."

Bart smiled politely.

"That's great. It'll be nice for Chuck to have siblings and I'm sure that Eric and Serena will really appreciate a father figure."

Lily forced a smile, noticing that he mentioned everything, but her. Once again she wondered if he was marrying her for her money rather than for her. She was marrying him partly for money…she wasn't going to lie, but she also respected the fact that he had climbed his way to the top. He had started with nothing and he had climbed his way to the top. Sighing, she continued to eat, and silence prevailed once again between the two. Was this how this was always going to be? An awkward silence when they were alone? Then some new arrivals caught her eye and she gasped.

x-x-x

"Rufus, this is way too expensive. And it's so posh!" Alison protested, but was truly delighted that he would do this for her. He laughed and answered,

"You'll enjoy it, Alison. Trust me. And I've been saving for this occasion so it's not too expensive."

She kissed him, loving his sensitivity. He had put so much thought into this and he had tried so hard to keep their marriage together. He really was the perfect husband. As they reached the door of the hotel Rufus skipped ahead and opened the door for her in a gentlemanly fashion. She laughed again at his playfulness and taking his hand, tugged him along. As they entered the restaurant she whispered into his ear,

"I love you, Rufus. I always will."

He began to reply, but then a swish of gold hair caught his eye. It was familiar and when the owner of the gold hair turned, he recognized her immediately.

x-x-x

"What's wrong, Lily?" Bart asked, as he heard the small noise of surprise emitted from her throat. She faced him, pale, and quickly stood up.

"Excuse me, Bart. I just…I will be right back. I beg your pardon."

With that she walked out of the restaurant, trying to catch her breath. How could he be here? This was the last place she would expect to see him. They had so much history together and after they had broken up, they had vowed never to set eyes on each other ever again. It was too painful and too complicated. They belonged to different worlds. Yet here he was, standing in the same building as her, looking as handsome as ever, just when she was wondering if she had made the wrong decision in deciding to marry. Why could he not just leave her alone? She had spent so many tears on him and she thought that he was out of her heart. His voice came floating to his ears.

"Alison, will you excuse me for a moment. I just saw someone I know."

"Is it her?" Lily remembered that lyrical voice from long ago. Alison. She had always been hovering around, hoping to steal Rufus from her. Well she had gotten Rufus, but not from her. She heard Rufus' denial and realized that he must be heading towards her so she began to walk quickly away, but soon heard her name being called. Without turning she continued on her way to God only knew where, but he grabbed her elbow and swung her around. Trying to keep her voice steady, she greeted him.

"Rufus. How nice to see you again."

"Lily. I never expected to see you again. I thought…"

"I thought we agreed it was best if we never spoke again after everything that's happened don't you think that's best?"

"Do you?" His reply was quick in coming. Lily was absolutely silent. He continued. "I hear that you're dating Bart Bass."

"We're engaged." Lily's voice was quiet as she dropped this bombshell on him. The disappointment showed in his face.

"Oh. Why him?"

"Why not him?" she shot back. "You're married to a wonderful woman from what I've heard. She loves you. You don't have a say in who I marry. You're not involved in any way."

"Lily, you broke up with me. What was I supposed to do? You refused to take my calls! I nearly went mad because you just left me. Why?"

"For you."

Rufus went absolutely still.

"What do you mean for me?"

Lily opened her mouth to explain, but then a voice said,

"Dad?"

They both turned around to see Jenny. She had a confused look on her face. Lily forced a smile.

"Jenny. What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Mrs van der Woodsen. I'm just dropping a few things off for Eric. I hope that's not a problem."

"No, not at all."

"Jenny, honey, I thought you were going to stay at home tonight," Rufus said quickly.

"Yeah, but then I got bored and I wanted to visit Eric. And he wanted to put some things back into his hotel room so here I am. Where's Mom?"

"Right here."

Rufus groaned as Alison walked up to the three. She looked murderous.

"You told me that it wasn't her. Why did you lie to me, Rufus?"

"Because you wouldn't understand. You don't understand. It's complicated," Rufus answered irritated.

"Well then explain it to me because I'm sure that you would have no problem explaining it to that slut over there." Alison was vicious.

"Mom! Mrs van der Woodsen is really nice and she's been really kind to me. It's not fair of you to call her something like that!"

"I will call her whatever I want and you stay out of it, Jennifer."

Jenny glared at her mother, then walked out, unable to stand another bout of her mother's jealousy. Bart Bass suddenly appeared and asked,

"What's going on here? Lily?"

Lily groaned inwardly. This was a mess that would not be easy to fix…especially since Bart was obviously looking at Alison with more than a little admiration in his eyes. She said angrily,

"Nothing."

She stormed off, intending on going to her hotel room, but then Rufus, who had also noticed Bart's lascivious eyes on his wife, ran after her, calling her name. Alison and Bart were left by themselves, yet again. Alison stuck out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Alison Humphrey and your girlfriend and my husband are in love."

Bart shook it.

"Bart Bass. I must say that you have a nice way of introducing yourself."


	5. Chapter 5

_Please review!_

"I think there's something going on or something that happened between our parents," Jenny announced as she sat down on Eric's bed where he was lying down. Without bothering to even turn towards her, he asked in a bored voice,

"Why do you think that?"

Jenny shot him an annoyed glance, but said,

"I caught them talking together secretly in the lobby of the Palace and when my mom came, she was furious."

"Maybe they just had an argument," Eric said coldly.

Jenny was stung and she snapped,

"I heard what I heard and since I was there I think I would know better than you whether I can sense something between them."

"Or maybe it's just your fanciful imagination once again going amok. You get the weirdest notions in your head, you know, J."

Jenny stood up angrily and, without a word, grabbed her bag and stormed out. Eric sat up to stop her, but it was too late; her back was already retreating. He swore and inwardly yelled at himself for being such an asshole. He was still annoyed when Serena came in with Jake. When Serena beamed at him, he merely smiled tightly and greeted her curtly. She was surprised, but continued regardless, shooting him a warning look.

"Hey, Eric. You've been bothering me to bring my boyfriend and he's been asking to meet you so I decided to let you too just meet. So Eric, Jake, Jake, Eric. Shake hands and say hi like good boys now."

Eric forced a smile at Serena's joke and said stiffly,

"Nice to meet you."

Jake glanced at Serena, who was looking annoyed, but shook Eric's hand, returning his words. They made a bit of awkward small talk, but then Jake escaped as soon as possible, sensing the tension in the air. As soon as he was gone Serena said angrily,

"Great impression you gave him, Eric. Thanks a lot for nothing!"

Eric said back,

"The impression I give him doesn't really matter. He doesn't really care as long as he has the beautiful Serena van der Woodsen on his arm. After all a million guys would kill for what he has. Are you really that blind, Serena?"

Serena controlled herself with a lot of effort and said,

"What the hell is your problem, Eric? I came back from boarding school for you and now you just keep trying to push me away. Just because you're recovering from depression does not mean that you can treat us like crap. We're not here for you to browbeat and I sure as hell am not going to stand it so you can start being pleasant or you can be by yourself. Think it over."

And for the second time in a few hours, a girl stormed irately out of the Ostroff centre.

x-x-x

Blair was sitting at the top of the stairs at the Met with Kati and Isabel when she caught sight of Serena walking by with her boyfriend. She stood up confidently and made her way to her former best friend. Then she attacked Serena.

"So you think that you can steal my boyfriend?"

Serena was surprised, but she rose to the challenge immediately. She said calmly,

"What on earth are you talking about? How can I steal a non-existent boyfriend?"

Blair gasped. How did she know that Nate had broken up with her? But years of being a queen of New York's elite had taught her to hide her feelings. She answered back quickly,

"We're not broken up. And you won't come between us. I found out about your…tryst, but Nate is just in a phase because you're unattainable. He'll soon come to his senses. Your hold over anyone can't last long."

"It's lasted longer than your hold on him. Are you still as blind as you used to be? Nate was not infatuated with me…he was infatuated with you." Serena laughed harshly. "Yes, Blair, Nate always preferred me to you. Didn't you notice how he always had more fun with me? How could someone like him love an uptight bitch?"

Blair's hand itched to slap her, but she had remembered Serena's words at the club. That had been too easy an opportunity for the blonde and Blair was not going to give another opening like that away. Therefore she only turned on her heel and stalked off, longing to wipe the triumphant smirk off Serena's face. As she was about to leave Nate appeared at her side. Happiness surged for a brief moment as hope that he was coming back to her returned. But one look at his disgusted face was enough to extinguish that hope. Her heart sank as Nate said,

"I am amazed that you would confront Serena again. It's below you to do this. Just stop it, Blair. It makes you look bad."

Blair opened her mouth, but he had walked off again, unable to stand her presence any longer. As tears sprang to her eyes, she closed her mouth, vowing to get Nate back whatever it took.

x-x-x

"I said that you were in love with that woman!" Alison said quietly. She knew that yelling would get less done than speaking rationally. Rufus sighed and said,

"I'm not in love with Lily. We had a few loose ends that we haven't tied up. She and I had a special relationship and you can hardly expect me to just cut her out of my heart. She was my first love! And you are my last one, hopefully."

"Hopefully? What the hell does hopefully mean?"

"It means that I want you to be my last love, but if you continue being like this, this marriage won't work and then we'll get a divorce and then I might find someone else to love."

"Divorce? You're talking about divorce now?" Alison's tone was disbelieving.

"From the way you're acting it seems like you want a divorce. All you ever do is yell at me now."

"Mom, Dad?" Dan came in with Vanessa. Alison walked out whilst Rufus just looked helplessly at his son.

"How much did you hear?"

"Everything," Dan's voice was quiet. "Are you two really going to get a divorce?"

"Of course not. We're just going through a rough patch. We'll make it, I'm sure. Vanessa, how are you?"

"I'm good, Mr Humphrey. Dan was just going to help me with my photography."

"Well don't let me keep you."

Vanessa smiled at Rufus and began to go, but Dan stayed for a moment, studying his father's face for what he was not saying. Eventually answering the insistent tugs of Vanessa he left, but his mind was still on the scene he had just heard.


	6. Chapter 6

"Humphrey, this is really boring

_Here's a long chapter. Part of it is influenced by One Tree Hill and another part is influenced by Grey's Anatomy, but I just love those shows so much! Please please please review!_

"Humphrey, this is really boring. You're moping," Vanessa said as she snapped another picture. Dan shook himself and apologized.

"Sorry, I'm just distracted."

She sighed.

"Dan, you shouldn't worry. All couples have rough patches and our parents are having one. I'm sure they'll make it. If all couples who went through rough patches didn't make it then no one would ever be together."

He let out a long breath, running his hand through his messy hair, mussing it up even more.

"Um, I hope so. But my mom looked so mad that I don't know…they've been arguing so much."

Vanessa stood up and hugged him, not knowing how else to comfort him. His arms locked around her and she buried her face in his chest, inhaling his unique scent. Then suddenly on an impulse, she said,

"I love you."

She froze, but Dan said lightly,

"I love you too, Vanessa, you've been there for me and I'm really grateful to you. We've been through so much together and you're my best friend."

She pulled herself out of his arms.

"No, look, I know that you're in love with Serena van der Woodsen, but I do love you. I know I shouldn't have said anything but now that I have I guess I might was well say it. I love you and I'm in love with you."

For a long time there was silence between the two of them. Finally Dan said,

"Oh."

Tears welled up in Vanessa's eyes at that syllable. Dan, seeing them, felt compelled to say,

"Vanessa, I'm sorry, but I just…don't feel the same way about you. I'm sorry. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose that, but I don't view you as a girlfriend."

Vanessa answered a bit too quickly.

"No, I understand. It was unfair to spring that on you. I…really didn't…I know you're in love with Serena van der Woodsen…" She pretended to look at her watch and continue, "Oh, uh, I really should go. Sorry. Bye."

She hurried away, unable to stay one moment longer. Dan was in shock, having never suspected her of these kinds of feelings. He hoped that this wouldn't affect their friendship, but hew as smart enough to know that that was very unrealistic. He swore under his breath and hurried off to find his sister.

x-x-x

"Vanessa told me that she loves me," Dan said as she walked into Jenny's room.

"Really? That's great," Jenny answered back vaguely. Her brother was incredulous. He grabbed his hair, agitated.

"Are you focusing? My best friend says she's in love with me and I'm win love with Serena and all you say is 'That's great'?"

Jenny shrugged. "You're never going to have a chance at Serena. She doesn't even know you exist. And Vanessa is really very nice." Dan, realizing that she wasn't overly bothered by his problems and therefore wouldn't really help him, walked out annoyed. Jenny's thoughts didn't even register his departure. She was still thinking about a certain blond-haired boy. Eric had never acted in such a way before towards her and it worried her. She had feelings for him and was deeply hurt by his careless manner. For a moment she entertained the idea that he had found out about her feelings and didn't like her, but surely he would have confronted her instead of yelling at her. She sighed, sick of having her thoughts dominated by Eric.

x-x-x

Serena was walking in Central Park when Nate appeared next to her. She smiled brightly at him.

"Hey."

"Hey you. I saw Blair and you arguing at the Met. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? If I were you I'd be more worried about Blair. She came off worse in the encounter and you're her boyfriend and all…"

"Ex. We're never going to get back together. It wouldn't be fair on any…either of us."

Serena looked sharply at Nate.

"It was a mistake. Even if you're no longer dating her, it was still a mistake. We were drunk, Nate, and it was stupid. Jake can never find out, alright? Never!"

He looked down, depressed, wishing she could love him or that she would. She would never know how devoted he was to her because she would always think of that night as a betrayal. He swore inwardly. That night had been the making and the ruining of him. Suddenly Jake came strolling up to them. Nate had to squash the surge of jealousy as he watched him kiss Serena, something he himself had no right to do. Jake nodded at Nate curtly. It was as if the man could feel the antipathy Nate was desperately trying to hold in. He did not fully understand why Nate felt this way, but he reacted to it anyway. Obliviously Serena said blithely,

"Where have you been? You just disappeared!"

"Just a call. Do you want to head over?"

Serena nodded, then turned to Nate as a brilliant idea came into her head.

"Nate, Jake and I are just heading to lunch. Why don't you join us? It'll be fun."

Nate protested, knowing that to agree would be to throw himself into an unnecessarily uncomfortable two hours. And although Serena brushed all his excuses aside, Jake said nothing to try to persuade him. Yet Serena was all it took to make him capitulate, unable to demur.

x-x-x

The lunch was as uncomfortable as Nate had expected it to be. Halfway through the lunch Serena began to get upset at Jake because his phone kept ringing and he refused to answer it.

"Why won't you just answer it, Jake? Someone keeps on calling and you keep refusing to answer it!"

"It would be rude to, Serena. We're in a nice restaurant and I can't just answer it, honey!" Jake tried to make Serena sound unreasonable, but she swiftly retorted,

"All week? Jake, it's not just today that you're not answering your phone, it's been going on the whole week. What are you keeping from me?" Serena's voice was filled with anguish and although it hurt Nate to hear it, it also filled him with hope that they might, just might break up.

"Sweetheart, I'm not trying to keep secrets from you. I couldn't. Not from the woman that I…love."

Serena and Nate stared at him. They were both shocked, but whilst Serena, unaware that he had disarmed her very skilfully, was delighted, Nate felt all his hopes crashing. He could see from Serena's face that no words could have been more welcome. She smiled, saying quietly,

"I love you too, Jake."

He smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, laughing,

"Thank God. I was so scared that you wouldn't say it back or that you would freak out."

Serena put her hand on his cheek lovingly, then seemed to remember where was. She turned.

"Oh, I'm sorry Nate! It must be so awkward for you, oh God."

"No, no, don't worry about it. I think I should leave you two alone. 'I love you' is a big step. I should know. That's why I could never say it to Blair."

He laughed bitterly. He stood up and began to gather up his coat. Jake, his arm around Serena's waist, said,

"Thanks, man. Don't worry about the bill. I'll pay."

"No. It's fine. I can pay…" Nate began to protest, but a voice from behind interrupted him.

"Jake? Darling, why didn't you tell me that you were in New York? I've been trying to call you non-stop!"

Jake went deathly pale and retracted his arm jerkily from his girlfriend's waist. Serena and Nate looked between Jake and the newcomer, confused by her familiarity. When Jake said nothing, the woman laughed and stuck out her hand to Serena.

"Hi, I'm Kelly. Jake's fiancée and you are?"

But Serena didn't answer Kelly or her question. Instead she stared at Jake, as if asking him to deny it. To say that the beautiful woman standing in front of her was lying. When he didn't she said one word.

"Fiancée?"obliviously y understand why Nate felt this way, but he reacted to it anyway. in. hed him kiss Serena, somthing


	7. Chapter 7

Previously:

sorry it's been such a long time, but i have exams and gcses. it's quite a long chapter. please please please review!

_Previously:_

"_Hi, I'm Kelly. Jake's fiancée and you are?"_

_But Serena didn't answer Kelly or her question. Instead she stared at Jake, as if asking him to deny it. To say that the beautiful woman standing in front of her was lying. When he didn't she said one word._

"_Fiancée?"_

Jake shrugged helplessly as Serena stared at him in disbelief. She sought the protection of Nate's arms, not knowing what else she could do. Nate held her tightly, trying to absorb some of her confusion. Less than five minutes ago they had been saying they loved each other and now she found out that he was engaged. Nate felt an overwhelming urge to hit Jake, but that would mean letting go of Serena's trembling body. Kelly laughed maliciously at the looks on all three people's faces.

"Oh you didn't know? Jake didn't tell you? Jake, how could you, darling? Well, Jake and I have been engaged since we were born. Of course we've each dated, but never seriously, though you are prettier than the other fifty girlfriends he's had."

Jake grabbed Kelly's arm tightly.

"That's enough. You've done enough, Kelly." He turned to Serena, who was staring at him from Nate's arms. "I'm so sorry, Serena. I never wanted you to find out. When we first started dating, I though it would just be a fling…I thought it would be over soon and no one would get hurt, but…I fell for you, hard. And when I was supposed to let you go…I just couldn't…please, Serena, I mean it when I said that I love you!"

She recoiled.

"What am I supposed to do with that Jake?" she cried in anguish. Jake was speechless. Mutely he stood there, helplessly looking at the tears streaming down Serena's face. Kelly smiled at the disastrous scene unfolding in front of her, the only one aware of the many faces now watching them. To add to the mix Blair now strolled up. The first thing she saw was Serena in the protective circle of Nate's arms. She sneered,

"Not content with you own boyfriend, huh? Trying to steal mine?"

"Actually she tried to steal my fiancé." Kobliviously y understand why Nate felt this way, but he reacted to it anyway. in. hed him kiss Serena, somthing elly now stepped forward, seeing an ally in the brunette beauty. Blair looked her up and down, coolly taking in the sluttish clothes. She turned her back and asked Serena pleasantly,

"Who is that…woman there?"

Serena smiled weakly at the disdain conveyed in her tone, knowing that although Blair would stand up for her in front of Kelly, they were still enemies. Serena, playing along, shrugged.

"I don't know…she's not really worth my notice."

Blair laughed scornfully. Kelly shrank from this attack, having unwittingly brought the two most beautiful girls in New York together against her. Nate hid a smile as he heard them throw cues to each other with ease. Jake merely looked confused, unaware of the antagonism New York's elite felt to newcomers. Finally Kelly, nearly crying, grabbed Jake's hand and tried to flee, but he drew back and said coldly,

"You don't really think that I will go with you?"

Kelly gasped with shock and horror and ran away, leaving Blair and Serena laughing mockingly. Jake, thinking that this would be a good opportunity to mend fences with Serena, said,

"Serena, I'm so sorry about that. I never…" he trailed off as Nate, Blair and Serena all turned and looked at him, Blair and Serena coldly, Nate menacingly. Blair said icily,

"I suggest you leave now before Nate gets so angry he gets himself thrown out of a perfectly good restaurant for inappropriate behaviour."

Jake looked pleadingly at Serena, but she only stared back stonily. As Nate stepped forward to shield her Jake was forced to walk away from the trio. As soon as he was gone Nate hurriedly paid the bill and the two of them brought Serena outside. Blair said hesitantly,

"You can bring her to my house. There'll be no one there."

Nate smiled at her gratefully, knowing that it wasn't easy for her to be nice to Serena, but the blonde was a wreck right now. they hailed a cab and began to apply themselves to the impossible task of comforting the broken-hearted girl.

x-x-x

Lily sat down opposite Rufus and said briskly,

"I'm afraid I don't have much time. I have to meet Bart soon."

"I'll be quick," Rufus said shortly. "The other day was…awkward." He waited, but when Lily said nothing, continued, "Why are you marrying him? You don't love him and he's not good enough for you."

"And I suppose that you are good enough for me? That I am still in love with you?" Lily retorted sharply. She was pale with anger and it scared him.

"No, but…I still love you!"

His words shocked them both. Lily sucked in a breath.

"You can't say that, Rufus. You can't! You're married and I'm engaged. Don't do this, Rufus! It's not fair on me or on Bart or on…your wife."

He grabbed her hand and held it fast.

"Lily, you left me. I loved you then and I still do. I never stopped, Lily. When you left me you broke my heart and I've never been able to mend it…and Alison couldn't either! I may have denied that I love you for 20 years, but I do!"

Lily blinked back her tears. She could never tell him why she had left him in the first place. It would sound too callous and he would never believe that she hadn't wished to leave him. She pulled her hand back and hurriedly stood up.

"I have to go, Rufus. I can't…I can't do this right now. I have to go." And then she was gone. Rufus sat back, stunned. Unbeknownst to him Alison had been listening to their conversation and now, without making him aware of her presence, left, furious.

x-x-x

Bart walked purposefully out of the Palace, hading towards his limo. Suddenly Alison stepped out and accosted him.

"Bart."

He turned to her, irritated.

"Yes? I don't have much time, Alison. I'm meeting Lily soon and I don't want to be late."

"Your fiancée and my husband are going to having an affair together. Then she's going to break your engagement and Rufus will divorce me." Alison did not care that every word was a lie since Bart's attention was now centred on her.

"What are you talking about?" His voice, though quiet, was threatening, but Alison repeated herself despite the shiver of fear that went through her. For a long time he didn't speak. Then he took her hand and tugged her into his hotel. Up, up and up they went until they reached the penthouse. He ushered her in and before she could do more than glance cursorily around, he had started to kiss her. She broke away from him, shocked.

"What the hell are you doing?" she gasped.

"The only reason you would come and tell me something like that would be because you wanted revenge. What better revenge?"

Alison was astonished…yet now she realised that he was right. She allowed him to start kissing her again. Nevertheless she could not push away the feelings of guilt that arose from cheating on Rufus…but when the conversation she had just witnessed floated into her mind again, she stopped thinking and stopped feeling guilty.


	8. Chapter 8

"Blair

"Blair? Are you alright?"

Nate touched her hair tentatively as she stared out of the window. Seeing her expression, he was worried because there was a world of pain in her eyes. She said with difficulty,

"Why her? Why can't you love me? Why do you love her instead of me? Why wasn't I enough for you, Nate?"

Nate was silent for a long time, looking at the sleeping form of the blonde. His eyes were full of love and he seemed to just drink in the sight of Serena sleeping. He said slowly,

"Blair, it's not that you weren't enough. You are an amazing girl, but Serena…I don't know I just love her. If I could love you and make you happy then I would, but I wouldn't make you happy and one day you will realize that. You need something more than me. You need…something I can't give you and you deserve to have what it is that you need."

Blair felt tears fill her eyes and she whispered painfully,

"Nate, what I need is you. I love you and I've always loved you! Please don't throw us away for her…we're Nate and Blair. Please!"

Nate looked into her eyes and said gently,

"Blair, we're so young and maybe you refuse to see the truth of my words because of that, but trust me, if we stayed together, then you would hate me eventually because I stopped you from getting what you truly wanted. You want to love me because of our history, but…I can't. And one day I hope that you'll realize that I was right."

She opened her mouth, but at that moment Serena stirred and Nate was at her side in a second. Her eyelids fluttered open and there was so much joy and happiness in them when she saw Nate that Blair couldn't find it in her heart to be angry at her former best friend anymore. She went slowly to Serena's side and gave a sad smile.

"Hey, S. How are you feeling?"

Serena looked at Blair, surprised at the softness and the anxiousness in her tone. She smiled hesitantly, unsure of where they stood now. As Blair sat down on the couch with her, Nate inconspicuously stood away to give them some room.

"Like someone ran over me with a truck…are you still mad at me?"

"I…don't know…it's hard to just not be mad at you, but it's really hard to be mad at you at the same time. Oh Serena, why did you have to go away?"

The blonde beauty looked down.

"How could I face you, Blair, after what I had done? I felt so guilty and ashamed…you have no idea how hard it was for me to keep it from you, but I knew that if I told you then you would be so mad and I couldn't bear to lose your friendship."

Blair hugged her tightly, having missed her best friend.

"Please don't disappear like that again. You have no idea how upset I was when I showed up on your doorstep and your mom told me that you had gone to boarding school in Connecticut. And then Nate was acting all weird and my dad left my mom for a man and it was all so horrible."

Serena hugged back tightly, guilt and shame rising in her.

"Oh, God, B, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Nate smiled a little despite the tears that ran down both the girls' faces. The two people he loved best in the world had finally made up and he was deliriously happy. Blair caught sight of him and quickly pulled away.

"You love him, S, and he loves you. You two should be together."

But to Nate's and her consternation, Serena shook her head.

"No, Nate and I are friends. I couldn't possibly…you love him so much and I couldn't take that from you. I almost lost your friendship and I will never put that in jeopardy ever again."

Blair was perplexed.

"I'm basically handing Nate to you on a silver platter and you refuse? Serena, Nate and I aren't going to get back together. I know that now and I don't mind. If I can't be happy with him then I want you to be. Please Serena."

Serena shook her head miserably.

"I'm sorry. I can't. We can't be more than friends."

x-x-x

Lily was waiting impatiently when Bart showed up, immaculately dressed as usual. She immediately masked her displeasure, but he could feel her annoyance flowing off of her. He said smoothly,

"Sorry I'm late, Lily. I had a little trouble getting here."

He tried to kiss her, but she turned her head minutely, but enough for him to only be able to kiss her cheek. He noted the action coldly, but did not comment. He had just come from Alison and he was secretly laughing at her. She thought that she could cheat on Bart Bass and not have it backfire? Well he would teach her. He asked,

"When do you want to get married?"

Lily was thinking of her meeting with Rufus and his question surprised.

"What?"

Bart's lip curled imperceptibly. She was probably dreaming of her lover even now when she was on a date with him. He repeated himself coolly, but his voice did not perturb Lily as he was never passionate with her. She said calmly,

"Maybe in a couple or three months."

He raised an eyebrow. He had expected her to delay to give herself more time to fool around with that man before being married made their liaison that much more difficult. Obviously she liked a challenge. He agreed smilingly, but his mind wandered back to the time he had spent with Alison. He had a feeling that Alison thought this was more than it really was…well he would deal with that later. Why stop the fun prematurely?

x-x-x

Eric was lounging in his bed when he saw Jenny come in. He sat up like a bolt and called out to her. She looked at him, but then turned to another guy. Curiously he looked around, but the other boy's face was obscured. He felt a faint feeling of…jealousy? No, he couldn't be jealous. This was Jenny he was thinking about…Jenny, his best friend. He couldn't be jealous, could he?


	9. Chapter 9

Chuck strolled languidly into the Waldorf house, but he froze as he took in the scene in front of him

Chuck strolled languidly into the Waldorf house, but he froze as he took in the scene in front of him. His astonishment at seeing Blair and Serena in the same room was quickly masked by an insolent smile as he saw his best friend at the window. He drawled,

"Did I miss something?"

All three of them looked at him, but Blair looked away quickly again whilst Serena looked at him coolly and Nate just looked disinterested. Blair said quietly,

"Yeah, you did."

Chuck waited for her to elaborate, but when no explanation was forthcoming, he asked,

"What, did Serena hit on Nathaniel whilst her boyfriend was in the room and he broke up with her? Or maybe she had a threesome with the two of them."

He kept one eye on Nate's stiffening body and Serena's furious face and one eye on Blair's expression. Though he had expected Serena to be mad at him, he had not thought to see the protective expression on Blair's face. She said icily,

"What happened was none of your business, Bass. You should mind your own business."

He raised his eyebrow insolently, his curiosity piqued. Serena hissed,

"If you must know, my boyfriend turned out to be engaged and his fiancée showed up just as he told me that he loves me. There, are you happy now?"

Chuck was stunned and strangely contrite. Blair shot an irate glare at him as Serena began to crumple up again. Nate strode over and grabbed Chuck's arm.

"That's it. You're going, Chuck and don't come back if you're going to upset Serena like that."

Chuck put up no fight, knowing that for once he was in the wrong. But he did look back once at Blair and felt his heart break watching with that expression of love on her face. He knew that she would never look at him that way and the knowledge hurt. He allowed himself to be propelled to the elevator, but said in a low voice to Nate,

"Tell her that I'm sorry."

Nate was so surprised at his words that he said nothing and by the time he had gotten over his shock Chuck had gone. He walked slowly back to where Blair was soothing Serena, but was so quiet that Blair asked him sharply,

"What's up, Nate? What happened?"

The blond shook his head.

"It's just that Chuck told me to apologize for him to Serena…"

Blair stared at him, shocked as well. Then she began to laugh.

"What is that boy up to? I wonder."

Nate grinned at that, knowing that she was probably correct, though it didn't quite feel right because he had seen the look on Chuck's face as he had said those words. He had looked sincere, but since when had Chuck Bass ever admitted he was wrong?

x-x-x

Alison entered the flat as quietly as she could, but Rufus was already waiting for her. She gave a gasp of shock when his voice cut sharply through the air.

"Where have you been?"

It was late at night and he had been waiting for her, calling her again and again. She turned angrily once she recovered.

"Why do you care? After all it's not like you love me enough not to speak to that woman. No, instead you sneak around in cafés with her and profess your secret love to each other."

He inhaled sharply.

"You were there? You heard?"

"Of course! You don't think that I would let you go anywhere without telling me where without following you after last night's debacle?"

He said furiously,

"How dare you spy on me? How can we work on our marriage if you're not going to let me go anywhere? This is getting too far. I can understand that you would be jealous of Lily, but I swore to you that I love you."

"You say that you love me to me and then you say to her that you love her! What am I supposed to believe?"

He passed a weary hand over his eyes and said tiredly,

"Alison, I'm married to you for a reason even if I can't remember it right now. So can you please drop it?"

"No. Not until you stop seeing her and stop talking to her," Alison demanded.

"Honey, you know that I can't do that. She and I go way back and if I just suddenly stop talking to her then…"

"You'll save our marriage."

"I don't know if our marriage is worth that right now."

Alison felt like she had been slapped. Silence reigned as the minutes ticked by, with the two of them looking at each other. Alison suddenly remembered the way she had spent her afternoon and suddenly felt guilty at yelling at Rufus. She turned away and said quietly,

"I think it's better if you sleep on the couch tonight, Rufus. We can continue this…discussion tomorrow. It's late and we're both tired."

He opened his mouth, but she turned away from him and walked away.

x-x-x

"Hey, you haven't visited in so long," Eric said to Jenny. She looked at him coldly and said,

"I didn't know if I wanted to see you again."

Eric looked down in shame, but seeing the guy she came with come in, felt that odd feeling in his chest again. He forced it down and looked at Jenny. Intuitively knowing what he was asking she said,

"Eric, this is my brother, Dan. Dan, this is Serena van der Woodsen's brother, Eric."

Eric shook Dan's hand and said quizzically.

"You know my sister? That's strange. I've never met you before."

Dan shook his head, embarrassed.

"No, I know who she is only."

Eric nodded, a mocking expression in his eyes, as if he could guess why Dan knew who she was. Many guys only knew who Serena van der Woodsen was because she was so beautiful. They would think that they knew her, but they would only know what they wanted to know. Eric hated these types of guys because it was so superficial and it made his sister look so cheap. He opened his mouth to say something more, but at that moment his mother walked in.

"Eric, we're going out with your sister so that we can have some special family time…though I haven't seen her recently. Do you know where she is?"

Eric shook his head.

"She was supposed to have lunch with Jake today. Maybe he would know."

Lily looked worried.

"It's just that she's not answering her phone and you know she always does."

Eric began to look anxious, but then shook his head, as if clearing it.

"She's fine, I'm sure. She probably just forgot. We should call Nate, she's probably hanging out with him or he'll probably know where she is."

Lily smiled and gathered his things for him. He hugged Jenny goodbye, silently apologizing for his behaviour at their last meeting. He smiled as she silently forgave him before walking out with his mother.


	10. Chapter 10

_I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but I've had exams. Since they're over now though I can write again and I will try to update more often. Please review! Sorry I uploaded the wrong chapter...this is the right one!_

It turned out that Serena did not actually show up to dinner with Lily and Eric, but they were too used to Serena forgetting about things she had agreed to attend to be worried. Even when she didn't show up for the night they weren't worried. They figured that she was probably staying with some friends. If they had known the truth, then they would have felt very different emotions, but as it was…

Blair and Serena were tentatively trying to rebuild their relationship. But they both knew that it could never be what it was. Too much had happened and they didn't know how to go back. Serena was still heartbroken over Jake's deception and Blair was also heartbroken about Nate although she didn't show it. It was obvious that they wanted some time alone so Nate left them alone. Yet once he walked out he didn't know where to go. He couldn't bear to go home where his parents, who adored Blair, would be furious that he had dumped her, but where else could he go? The person he usually sought solace from was a complete wreck. So he decided to just walk…just walk and keep walking until he ended up God knew where. His plan would have worked if at that moment he hadn't walked into the very person who he hated most. He snarled,

"What the hell are you still doing here?"

Jake looked down, knowing that he deserved the ire that was explicit in Nate's normally carefully modulated voice.

"I…couldn't bear to leave without…apologizing…I never meant to hurt her…I never did lie to her…I just left out the truth which is just as bad…what I mean is that I do love her…and that if she had given me any indication that she loved me as much as she loves you…then I would have married her and screw what my family thinks…but I always knew that she…had feelings for you…the way she would mention your name…the look in her eyes…when…she laid eyes on you…I just knew…"

Nate looked at him incredulously.

"She did love you! You made her believe that you were free to love her and she did love you! How dare you try to make excuses? You can't! You've deceived and betrayed her and don't you dare try to wriggle out of it like the snivelling worm that you are! You belong underground!"

Jake recoiled from such viciousness, but at the same time a murderous light appeared in his eyes and before he could stop himself, Nate was on the ground, bleeding. He sprang up quickly, ready to punch him back, but someone got there before him. Chuck said arrogantly,

"Get out of here, scum, before I hit you again."

Jake looked coldly at the pair, but knew that there was no way he could win…and if Serena ever found out that he had bodily harmed that asshole, she would never forgive him and then his plans would all come to nothing. The only reason he had ever agreed to marry Kelly was because of her money. His father had squandered the fortune they had and now he had to marry someone rich to rebuild their fortune. He had been perfectly willing to marry Kelly before he met Serena, who was even richer. Oh, he did love her in a fashion, but he loved her money more. Kelly had overset his plans, but he would find another way to get Serena. What he wanted, he got.

x-x-x

As Alison drank her coffee, she looked meditatively over at her husband, who was reading the newspaper. They hadn't exchanged a word and an awkward tension hung between them. She racked her brains for something to say, but could think of nothing at all. Finally Rufus folded up his paper and said calmly,

"Alison, we need to talk."

She nodded numbly, slightly frightened by his tone of voice. She could deal with anger and with any passionate emotion, but this icy…uncaring tone…she did not know what to do. He said in the same colourless tone,

"I think we both agree that this can't go on. It's affecting the kids and it's a desperate situation. You can't get rid of your suspicion that I'm still in love with Lils and I…don't know how to deal with it…I find you over-possessive and jealous. Do you agree that something must be done about the situation?"

Alison nodded, her throat dry. She said wildly,

"Couples therapy or…a weekend away just the two of us…we could rebuild our marriage…and…and,"

"Alison, I want a divorce."

Five words…that's all it took for Alison to realize where she had driven them to. All the arguments she had picked over nothing…and now she was to become a middle-aged divorcee. Mutely she tried to shake her head, but Rufus had already risen and was giving her details.

"I've thought this over a long time…we both know this isn't working out. And I think that it would just be best…"

"Did you find out about the affair?" Alison asked numbly. Somewhere she knew that this didn't make sense, but her brain was too fogged up to try to make sense of what her instinct was telling her. Rufus looked surprised and thunderously angry.

"Affair? With who?"

"I guess not…" Alison said quietly. Now she wished that she had kept her mouth shut, but she needed to understand why he was so willing to give up on them. "It was with Bart Bass…"

She faltered when she saw the hot anger cool to a menacing coolness in his face. He said precisely,

"You are having an affair with Lily van der Woodsen's fiancé? Is this because you know that I will always cherish a place in my heart for her? Is it because you jealous of her?"

"You told her that you loved her!" Alison cried, tears now streaming down her. She was rapidly losing control and she knew it, but she didn't know how to stop. She felt that if she could just push him more and more he would stay with her. She was being irrational she knew, but what else could she do? Nothing was moving him…and the affair wasn't hurting him because of what she was doing to him…it was hurting him because of what it was doing to that slut! Inwardly she seethed, but when she looked up again, Rufus had walked out, unable to stand her presence.


	11. Chapter 11

Lily was fussing with her son's tie when they ran into Chuck

_New chapter! Please review!_

"V, wait up."

Dan ran up to his best friend, but she strode on without a look at him. He tried to grab her arm, but she jerked it away angrily.

"Leave me alone, Dan."

He ran ahead and cornered her, making her face him.

"What's the matter, Vanessa? Why are you angry at me?"

"Dan, come on. I told you that I love you! And I knew that you would probably reject me, but did you expect that it wouldn't hurt anyway? Of course it hurt! How am I supposed to act all normal?"

Dan was stunned. Having never been rejected before and never having rejected another girl before, he didn't know what to expect and this was a rude wake-up call for him. Speechless, he merely watched as Vanessa strode past him, only turning to look at her once she had gone past.

x-x-x

"You're having an affair with my wife?"

Rufus was furious. After he had left his home, he had gone straight to Bart Bass's hotel and banged on the door. However, when those words are come out of his mouth, Lily, immaculately dressed as usual, had appeared behind the man. She looked pale.

"What?" her tone was soft, but deadly.

Bart had a rueful expression on his face, but he seemed to feel no guilt. He said nonchalantly,

"Yeah, so what?"

Rufus began to yell, but Lily adopting a quiet voice, said to him,

"So what? That's all you're going to say? I expect at least an explanation for such low and vulgar behaviour as that. If you want to be part of my world, then you're going to need something more than 'so what'. If you want me to marry you, you are going to give me an explanation."

Bart looked at her lazily, taking in the tenseness in her body and the suppressed fury in her beautiful blue eyes. He said flippantly,

"I was just having some fun with her just as you seem to be having fun with this man right here."

Lily was perplexed.

"What on earth are you talking about, Bart? Rufus and I are just…friends."

"Yeah, friends with benefits," Bart sneered. At these words Lily slapped him before being punched by Rufus. Bart yelled with pain, glaring at Lily.

"What, are you offended by that term? I wonder why since you are little better than a whore!"

Rufus brought his fist back to punch him again, but Lily stopped him, grabbing his arm and sending an electric shock down his entire body. Lily gave no sign of having felt anything, but said quietly,

"There is absolutely nothing between Rufus and me and if as I suspect, you got that information from Alison Morgan, then I would have thought that you would know better than to listen to such a jealous person as that. She is just jealous because she thinks that Rufus loves me rather than her because of the…intense relationship Rufus and I had before he married Alison. I am shocked that you would listen to a person like her. How can you expect to be thought to part of my world when you are as low as to listen to that…snake."

Bart stared at her venomous words, unable to formulate any words. Lily slowly took off her engagement ring and dropping it on the floor, said emotionlessly,

"I think that we really shouldn't get married, Bart. We both know that we don't love each other and now that I hear about this, I know I cannot tolerate your…hobbies. You, no matter how rich you are, will always be low-class and I don't think that I could handle it."

She grabbed her bag before walking out and slamming the door in his face. When she looked at Rufus, she had a worried expression on her face.

"You're hurt. Does it hurt?"

Rufus looked down, surprised as he realized that he was subconsciously nursing his hand, which now seemed to be on fire. She touched it gingerly, bending over it to get a better look. As he looked down at her golden hair he felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her. He was, however, unable to act on this impulse as at that moment she began to pull him along the corridor, saying,

"Come on, I'll get you an ice pack. My room is just down here."

Dazed, he allowed himself to be dragged into a large suite and sat down as Lily pressed an ice pack onto his hand. As she bustled around the room, he followed her with his eyes, having missed the chance to just look at her beauty for 20 years.

x-x-x

As Serena, Nate and Blair walked to school together, Serena smiled at her best friend.

"Thank you so much for taking care of me, B. I've missed you so much."

"It's not problem, though I still think that you're mad not to date Nate, when everyone knows that he's been moping around for you for ages…I've even sensed it and you know how I ignore things that I don't like."

Serena looked away, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken.

"Blair, I know that you think that you would be okay with us being together and I don't deny that I love Nate, but I think that if I did agree to date Nate, then you would be upset at me and I wouldn't do anything to make you upset at me again, so please don't ask it of me."

Blair sighed.

"Fine then. I won't mention it again though I think that you're wrong and that you're being incredibly stupid. After all you only get one soul mate in this life."

Serena grinned at her, amused at her dramatic tone, but her grin faded at the wistful expression on Nate's face. She looked away quickly, unable to deal with his unhappiness. Blair chatted on obliviously, but each time Serena sneaked a glance at the boy she loved, he was watching her intently, hoping for her to relent.

x-x-x

Alison banged on Bart's door, desperate to speak to him, but when he opened the door, she was shocked at the swelling in his jaw. She gingerly touched it.

"My God, what happened to you, Bart?"

He slapped her hand away impatiently and said with sparks coming out of his eyes,

"How the hell did your husband find out about our…arrangement?"

The blonde looked down and whispered, ashamed,

"I told him. I couldn't do it anymore. He's my husband. I couldn't lie to him and I felt so guilty. But did he do this to you? Because I never would have told him if he had done this to you! It's just that…he told me that he wanted a divorce and I wanted…needed to know why."

"Lily broke off our engagement, you fool! And all because you wanted to know why your husband wanted a divorce."

"Bart, don't you see though? Now we don't have to be guilty and we don't have to sneak around…we can be a real couple and all."

He sneered at her.

"Do you really think that's what I want? You're below me, Alison Morgan. After having had the chance to marry Lily van der Woodsen, do you really believe that I would settle for a struggling artist with no talent like you? You delude yourself. I was having a bit of fun with you, for revenge for something that never even happened. You sick person! You told me a lie to get me to sleep with you. How perverted. Now get out of my hotel before I call security."

He slammed the door in her face, leaving her shocked and speechless.


	12. Chapter 12

Chuck strolled along, lazily watching the girls who were walking in front of him who were trying to impress him with silly antics

_Sorry it's such a short chapter, but I seem to have a little problem of writer's block. And no one is leaving any reviews so…_

Chuck strolled along, lazily watching the girls who were walking in front of him who were trying to impress him with silly antics. He smiled wolfishly at them, noting the excited squeals as they realized that they had caught the attention of the well-renowned player. Yet their triumph was short-lived as Blair, Serena and Nate came into view. For a moment Chuck was content just to watch the innate grace of the girl he loved. Languidly he strolled up to the trio and asked,

"Mind if I join you?"

Serena averted her face, Nate shrugged, but Blair looked delighted.

"Sure! I was just thinking of ways to punish Jake and since you've got such a twisted mind, I'm sure that you'll think of exactly the right thing!"

Chuck said dryly to cover up his hurt feelings,

"I'm surprised that you didn't hit upon a solution, Blair. After all, you think in exactly the same way as me."

Blair shot a frown at him before pretending she hadn't heard the remark and continuing to chat blithely. Serena watched the interaction between the pair silently as they seemed to know what the other was thinking without even having to say a thing. When they parted ways, she murmured to Blair,

"You and Chuck are getting on really well, aren't you?"

Blair stared at her before laughing.

"Seriously, Serena? Chuck Bass?"

Her best friend shrugged.

"You're single, he's single, you seem to be able to finish each other's sentences and he's not that bad looking."

Blair shook her head vehemently.

"Absolutely not! I could never go out with Chuck Bass when Nate…they just can't be compared. Don't be ridiculous."

Serena looked down, trying to hide a smile as she completely disregarded every word Blair had said. But that smile disappeared as Blair once more urged her to date Nate. Eventually Serena said,

"Blair, why do you want me to date Nate when if I did date him then you would have no chance?"

If she was hoping that Blair would have no answer though, she was disappointed. Blair replied promptly,

"Because there is no chance whether you date him or not and if I don't have a chance then I want you to be happy with him," she then continued in a softer voice. "Serena, I may be selfish, but I can't be happy if I know that the two people I love best are unhappy because of me."

Serena hugged her tightly, yet still refused to become Nate's girlfriend, to Blair's consternation.

x-x-x

Dan watched Serena walk out of the school with Blair, chatting happily. He inhaled sharply when she seemed to send a smile his way, but his dream was disillusioned when Nathaniel Archibald walked up to her from behind him, smiling dreamily back at her. Dan sighed, hating himself for having hoped that she had finally noticed him, before strolling up to his little sister. Jenny ignored him as she trailed behind Blair, hanging onto the brunette's every word. Evidently Blair dismissed her after ordering her to something as Jenny finally deigned to recognize him. He teased her,

"So what new task did the Queen-Bitch want you to do?"

Jenny flicked him a look of disdain, but it was arrested and she looked down in embarrassment. Dan swung around, correctly assessing that there was someone behind him. Red filled his cheeks as well when he came face to face with Serena. She said nothing to him, but said coldly,

"Jenny when you get a chance, could you possibly return this book to the library for me?"

She handed a book to the other blonde and once it was out of her hand, she walked away, only sparing the smallest of contemptuous glances for Dan. Jenny scowled at him.

"Well done, Dan. You're really amazing when it comes to girls, aren't you?"

She stormed away from him, leaving him feeling incredibly foolish.


	13. Chapter 13

Dan looked wistfully at Serena, but when he saw her waving happily to Nathaniel Archibald, he did not get a stab of jealousy as usual

Dan looked wistfully at Serena, but when he saw her waving happily to Nathaniel Archibald, he did not get a stab of jealousy as usual. No, instead, his thoughts wandered over to his best friend…ex-best friend now. If only she hadn't made such a declaration! But now he couldn't get her out of his, trying to figure out a way out of this dilemma. He wanted his best friend back, but he couldn't date her. It would be too weird and he was in love with Serena. As he looked at the blonde again, he knew that she would never love him back…she probably would never know that he even existed. He had to face that now that he had lost his best friend. She would know what to say to him now…she alone would know. How in the world could he make things right with her? She was so mad at him when they last spoke that he didn't know how to approach her. He swore under his breath and grabbing his bag walked away from the first time from Serena van der Woodsen.

x-x-x

Alison was shocked at the way that Bart had used her. Now that she thought about it she was amazed that she had been so blind. It was so obvious that someone like Bart Bass could never act decently if there was a way to act like a jerk. She could only be mad at herself for having been so stupid. What kind of person is blind enough to close their eyes like that? She wished that she could run to Rufus and spill all her problems to him, but she couldn't because he wanted a divorce and she was damned if she would appear to be vulnerable to him. And in any case how could she ask him for advice about a man that she cheated on him with? No, she couldn't run to Rufus anymore. That would be insulting to him and to her. Suddenly it hit her. She was all alone now. She had no one to run to, no close friend whose shoulder she could cry on, no one to whom she could unload her burdens on.

She sat down a bench and felt the tears gather in her eyes. She dashed them away quickly, unable to allow herself to cry in the middle of New York. She would keep some of her dignity at least. One never knew who could be watching in the city. She had never felt so lonely despite being in such a busy populated city. How did this happen to her? She had always had innumerable men dancing attendance on her…always some friend to laugh and joke with…but she had pushed them away. What had changed in her? Ever since she had married Rufus she had become so paranoid that she had pushed away all of her friends since she was so worried that they would chase her husband. And the men…what had happened to them?

Suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe. She had to get out of the city. She had to leave…go somewhere…anywhere.

x-x-x

Rufus could not keep himself from smiling. He was getting a divorce and Lily was not engaged anymore. It was as if all his troubles had been magicked away. He knew now that he had always been in love with Lily, but he had tried to deny it because he had been so hurt. He still wondered why she had left him so abruptly, but he also knew that it didn't matter anymore. She still hadn't said that she loved him or that she entertained the thought of them getting back together again, but he wouldn't give up hope until she absolutely refused to think of it. Then he would try to be her friend because anything would be better than this estrangement that they had imposed on themselves. He had been shocked when Alison revealed to him that she had been having an affair, but he couldn't find it in him to be angry at him for long. After all he had deceived both of them for much longer than she had deceived him. He had been unfaithful in mind if not in deed and he could not help but feel a little guilty about that.

She had not been returning his calls and he had no idea where she was. He had returned home from Lily's suite to find that she had packed a suitcase and left, leaving only a note to say that she was gone and did not know when she would be back. A slight surge of anger went through him as he thought how she had just left their children. How must they feel about this? Knowing that their mother has disappeared to god only knew where and for god knew how long. He had wanted to break the news of their divorce together, but she was evidently going to force him to tell them by himself. He cursed mentally. He hated it when she put him in such an uncomfortable situation. It was so unfair of her and so selfish and so characteristic of her. Well he would tell them and soon as well. He just prayed that they wouldn't react to badly to the news. But who knew with teenagers?


	14. Chapter 14

Rufus paced in front of his confused children, not quite sure how to break it to them

Rufus paced in front of his confused children, not quite sure how to break it to them. Dan said impatiently,

"Dad, will you just spit it out already? Jesus, I could have written an English essay in the time you've taken to say one word!"

Rufus tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. He said tentatively,

"Dan, Jenny, you might have noticed that your mother and I have been having a bit of a rough time. We had a rather big argument the other night and we have agreed to get a divorce. Unfortunately your mother also left town the other day and so…"

Rufus trailed off as he saw the looks of shock on his children's faces. He made a gesture as if to hug them, but Jenny shook her head.

"No, Dad, please don't…I have to go…I said that I'd go see Eric…I…"

She hadn't finished her sentence when she ran out of the room. Rufus let out a long breath and looked at Dan anxiously.

"Are you…mad at me?"

His son stared at him emotionlessly.

"She just left? Without even saying goodbye? And you're getting a divorce? Dad…that's a lot to process in a very short space of time…I, uh, need to speak to Vanessa, oh crap!"

Rufus raised his eyebrows.

"What's wrong with Vanessa?"

"She, uh, told me that she loved me and I…couldn't reciprocate so…she got mad at me and refuses to speak to me."

Rufus sighed and shook his head.

"We Humphreys really have the worst luck with women, don't we?"

x-x-x

Jenny burst into Eric's room, tears collecting in her brown eyes. Eric sat up and looked at her, concerned.

"Jenny? What's wrong? What's happened? Are you alright?"

Jenny shook her head and gasped,

"My parents are g-getting a divorce!"

Eric walked over to her quickly and hugged her, knowing how painful a divorce could be. He had never been close to his father and when his parents had divorced, he had ceased talking to his father altogether. He said quietly into Jenny's blonde hair,

"Sh, sh, it's going to be alright. I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but I swear that it will get better. Your parents, though they might not love each other anymore, still love you a lot. I know that's what always gets said, but it's true. If your parents stay married, they would tear themselves apart until they hate each other so much. There would be so much bitterness and you wouldn't want that?"

Jenny shook her head in his shoulder and murmured,

"But why can't they just love each other? They loved each other once…they didn't get married because they hate each other!"

"People change, Jen and people evolve. Sometimes you like the way a person has changed, but sometimes…if you realize that the person that you married is not the person you married or that you don't like the person they've become then it is sometimes best to just…part ways."

Jenny looked up into his blue eyes, full of compassion and sympathy and without thinking kissed him gently. He responded hesitantly, but immediately. Jenny felt a wave of relief go through her as if all the tension that she had been holding in had been absorbed by Eric. When they pulled apart, they were slightly breathless. Eric said huskily,

"I've wanted to kiss you for so long…"

x-x-x

Chuck watched Blair lazily as she walked down the stairs, arm in arm with Serena. He knew that the blonde disliked him, but he also knew that if she thought that Blair would be happy with him, then she wouldn't stand in the way of the possibility of their having a relationship. Blair said haughtily,

"What do you want, Bass?"

Chuck smiled with a slightly sneer.

"You don't have a date to the party tonight, right?"

Blair didn't deign to reply, but her stiff body posture was all the answer that Chuck needed. He drawled,

"How about you go with me? As friends."

He put a very slight inflection on friends, but so slight that Blair wasn't even sure that she had heard it. She considered, but when Serena urged her to, she was forced to accept. But before she agreed, she made one stipulation.

"If I go with Chuck, then you go with Nate, Serena."

Her best friend frowned, but then as Blair knew she would, agreed. She would do anything if it got her friend to do something Blair would normally never do. Blair knew this and she usually never played on it, but this was a special occasion. Chuck laughed internally at the way Blair had turned the situation to her advantage, but resented the fact that he couldn't now be sure whether she was going with him to go with him or to make Serena go with Nate.


	15. Chapter 15

_Sorry it's so short, but I have writer's block and I'm really busy! But I wanted to post a chapter before I go off to summer camp...unfortunately that means that I won't be able to post until August, but I'll make sure that I write during that time and have lots to post later and hopefully I'll become more regular in my posts!_

_Please review!_

"What are you smiling so smugly about, Eric?"

Serena had popped in to say hello to her little brother before going to the party. Usually he commented on her dress, giving her advice if he thought that there was something wrong with her outfit, but this time he had given her a vague smile and said distantly,

"Yeah, the dress is nice."

Then he had stared in a space, smiling to himself. Serena had a suspicion of why he was smiling, but she was going to make him say it. She had always told him that he would fall for someone really hard and then he would knew why she had been so heart-broken when Nate chose Blair over her. Eric hadn't understood why she had nearly killed herself partying and doing crazy stunts. Now he would. Eric answered,

"I pulled Jenny earlier today…I think I'm in love…"

Serena had to stifle a laugh when she heard the note of wonder in his voice. She wanted to retort that at his age he wouldn't know what love was, but she knew that there was no surer way of annoying him and patronising him. Instead she replied,

"Oh really? When did you find out that you were in love?"

Eric shot a sharp look at her.

"Don't make fun of me…I'm going to get enough talk from Mom about how she is an inappropriate person to date because she's not rich and she's not an It girl…blah blah blah."

Serena, seeing that he really was pissed off at the thought of their mother, said placatingly,

"Don't worry about it, Eric. I'll speak to her and I'll tell her that Blair has taken little J under her wing so she's suitable…"

She trailed off as she noticed the displeased frown that had appeared on Eric's face.

"What's wrong?"

"Blair's not the best person to take Jenny under her wing…no offence, dear sister, but Blair's a complete bitch! She had stand anyone who's nicer than her, who's prettier to her, who's cooler than her and she's going to feel threatened by Jenny and she's going to try to ruin Jenny."

"Nonsense! How did you get such misguided notions in your head, Eric? Seriously, you're talking about my best friend here, have a little sensitivity!"

Eric bit back an acid retort on how Blair treated her like dirt and said nothing, knowing that Serena would not appreciate any censorious remarks about the brunette. Serena looked at the clock quickly and swore.

"I was supposed to meet Nate ten minutes ago! Eric, I love you and I'll talk to you later. Bye."

And then she was gone, leaving Eric to dream about Jenny.

x-x-x

Lily knocked on Rufus's door tentatively. She had no idea what she was doing, but now she felt like she should see Rufus again…as if she needed to see him again. She was just about to walk away when Rufus opened the door. The look of pleasure and happiness at the sight of her warmed her and prevented her from making a quick escape. She said quietly,

"Rufus, I wanted to check how your hand was…is it better?"

He nodded slowly, trying to read her face. He hoped very much that that excuse was just an excuse to see him. He wanted to shout that he loved her, but he wanted…no needed a sign that she felt the same way about him. For a while they just stood there, looking at each other, taking in all the little changes in each other. Then Rufus awkwardly said,

"Do you want to come in?"

Lily hesitated.

"I'm not sure…Alison would welcome me into her home…"

"Alison's not here…she's disappeared off somewhere…" Rufus said swiftly.

"Oh…" Lily said quietly as she tentatively walked in, not sure what she was there for. She had come on an impulse and now she was regretting coming at all. Rufus turned after bolting the door and unexpectedly trapped Lily between him and the wall. As she looked up at him, she began to breathe slightly heavier than before, his very closeness affecting her. She expected him to move away as quickly as he had turned, but instead he slowly lowered his head and kissed her softly on the lips. As her breath hitched he deepened the kiss and it was as if the years rolled back for them. Lily broke away for a moment.

"Rufus, no, we shouldn't…you've not even started divorce proceedings and I've only just broken up with Bart…not to mention your children…"

Rufus hushed her.

"Lily, haven't we wasted enough time? All these years of being apart and where did they get us?"


	16. Chapter 16

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but the summer was so hectic and now I'm in my GCSE year

_I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but the summer was so hectic and now I'm in my GCSE year. I know this isn't much, but it's a start…_

Dan walked into his dad's room, hardly bothering to knock, thinking that Rufus wouldn't mind. Suddenly he caught sight of a blonde who looked distinctly like Serena van der Woodsen. All three of them yelled at once,

"Dan!"

"Rufus!"

"Dad?!"

Dan quickly turned around and walked out, trying unsuccessfully to get the image of his dad with another woman out of his head. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. He gathered his wits quickly and opened it to reveal Vanessa.

"Vanessa!"

She smiled at him awkwardly.

"Hi, Humphrey."

Dan stared at her dumbfounded for a moment, then remembered himself. He stepped aside to let her pass, wondering what had made her turn up at his doorstep. He had tried to reach her ever since their argument but she had never returned any of his calls. She stepped in and spun.

"Look, I'm here to apologize, Dan. I should have returned some of your calls…I guess at first I was just hurt and then…after I got over that…well I have a boyfriend and I thought it would be a little awkward and I didn't know how to speak to you again…"

Dan said quickly,

"No, it's fine. I'm just glad that you've come…but a boyfriend? What's his name?"

Vanessa smiled,

"It's Luke…he's a really nice guy and I really like him."

Dan tried to ignore the protective feeling welling up in him. He had no right where she was concerned and he was in love with Serena, wasn't he? She looked at him anxiously when he made no reply.

"Dan, you can't be angry or anything…you didn't want me after all…remember?"

Dan forced a smile and choked out,

"Of course I'm not angry…and I know that I didn't feel that way about you…I'm glad that you've moved on. I hope that he deserves you though because you really deserve someone who'll always put you first."

Vanessa smiled, still a bit anxious at the drawn look on his face. She was startled therefore when he asked,

"So when do I meet this really nice guy?"

Vanessa laughed uncomfortably.

"Well, I was thinking of giving him some time before allowing you to scare him off…"

Dan chuckled.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of scaring him…I'm just wondering who he is. That's all…and since you don't have a brother, well then I have to do a couple of brotherly things for you."

Vanessa looked at him suspiciously.

"Humphrey, don't you dare scare him away!"

As Lily lay snuggled in Rufus' arms, she gave a contented sigh. He, smiling, kissed the top of her head.

"I've missed this, you know? Being able to just hold you…"

Lily smiled up at him.

"It's been a long time…too long. But now we have to break it to our children."

Rufus stiffened slightly.

"Oh, yes…I'm afraid of that to tell you the truth. Dan, especially, might not be happy with me dating so soon after Alison."

Lily looked up at him cautiously.

"What exactly are you saying?"

Rufus smiled at the suspicion in her face.

"Merely that we should be very careful how we break it to our children."

She laughed.

"Alright…but maybe we should tell our children together. That might make things a little easier."

"Mmm…although I can think of one thing I would rather do right now." Rufus's voice was too mischievous and Lily pulled away slightly.

"What?"

"This!" He pulled her back and kissed her.


	17. Chapter 17

_I'm so very sorry I haven't updated in the longest time…it's crazy how busy it's been! So this is the last chapter. Almost everyone gets their happy ending although Lily and Rufus already have. I hope you've enjoyed this story! Please R+R!_

Nate's breath caught in his throat as he saw Serena come through the door with Blair. So engrossed in admiration of the blonde was he that he didn't even notice the stunned and awed expression that had made its way into his best friend's face. Chuck couldn't believe that he had finally managed to get Blair to agree to a date with him. Serena and Blair both smiled the same smile as they saw the expressions on their dates' faces. They looked at each other and said at the same time,

"He's so in love with you!"

They laughed as they realized that they had said the exact same thing. Serena said,

"No, seriously, Blair, you should give Chuck a chance. He really likes you and you know it's rare that he actually properly likes a girl or anyone in fact. And I know that you like him."

Blair blushed.

"I don't know if it would be a good idea though. I mean we are talking about Chuck Bass here. You know the asshole who is so smug and arrogant not to mention who has a different girlfriend every single day."

"But he hasn't had a different girlfriend every single day for a while now. And he did apologize about being an ass, remember? Just give him a chance, alright?"

Blair thought for a moment before saying,

"Alright, but only if you promise to give Nate a chance, because he's really in love with you. You were right. He was only infatuated with me, but with you he is truly in love. You would be a complete idiot if you didn't take up this chance…it doesn't come everyday, S."

They had to stop talking as they reached the boys, but what the best friends had said stuck with them and as they looked on their dates, they made a resolution to give them a shot at proving themselves.

x-x-x

As Chuck led Blair onto the dancefloor, he smiled at her slightly.

"You know, of all things, I never expected to be on a date with the Queen Bee of New York."

She began to scowl, but then realized that he was paying her compliment. She smiled back.

"Yeah, well I never imagined I would be on a date with you. I never thought of you in that way seeing as you're usually such a jerk, but…I must admit that you've been a lot more pleasant recently."

For a little while silence reigned between them. It was not an uncomfortable silence; it felt right. As they looked into each other's eyes, Chuck slowly and gently began to pull Blair closer until finally their lips met. It was unlike anything they could have imagined and when they finally pulled away from each other, they were beaming.

Across the room, they were being watched by their two best friends. Serena smiled and said happily,

"They were made for each other. Despite what I feel about Chuck, I think he'll be good for Blair. They're one of a kind…in a good way. And they'll bring the best out of each other. They'll be happy together."

Nate replied quietly,

"Then don't you think it's time for you to happy as well. For you to have a happy ending to this…epic? Because Serena, I have been in love with you for ages. It's like it's been this awkward unacknowledged love triangle for the longest time. Me in love with you and Blair in love with me and I don't know how you've felt throughout all of this. But I need to know, Serena, because I love you. I'm not afraid to say it to you like I was to Blair so please…let us both have a happy ending."

She turned slowly to him and put her hand gently on his cheek, admiring his perfectly chiselled features. Putting her forehead against his, she said softly,

"I'm tired of fighting against it. I guess I was just afraid that I was just dreaming and that it would all fade away if I let myself be happy. But I've realized that I'm missing life if I do that so I guess I just have to leap and to hell with the consequences. Nate, I do love you. You've always been there for me. And yeah, I've been in love with you since before you started to date Blair. It just never felt right to do anything about it because Blair is my best friend, and so I hid behind that excuse to never tell you how much I love you. But I guess that excuse is no longer valid. So I'm not going to hide anymore. I do love you and I'm not going to be afraid to be happy anymore."

Nate smiled, unable to believe that she had finally given in and that he finally had the girl of his dreams. As they kissed, he couldn't imagine anything sweeter or better than that kiss, the kiss that marked the beginning of them.

x-x-x

"Dan, this is my boyfriend, Trey."

Vanessa proudly presented Trey to her best friend, hoping desperately that Dan would approve and behave. Dan was silent for a while, but then suddenly remembered his manners.

"Hi. Dan Humphrey, V's best friend…it's nice to finally meet you."

Vanessa looked at him anxiously as she took in his tone. However, Trey didn't appear to notice anything amiss.

"Hi. Now I understand that you're like a surrogate brother for Vanessa so I guess you're the one I should say this to. I am not going to hurt Vanessa and I'm not a bastard. I don't have a dodgy past and the only future I see right now is with Vanessa."

The brunette beamed at the eloquence with which her boyfriend expressed himself. Dan, seeing the smile and happiness in his best friend's face felt his heart fall to his feet as he realized that she had truly gotten over him. He had lost her because of his blindness and his stubborn devotion to a girl he had never even exchanged a word with.

x-x-x

"Eric, hey, oh stop it!"

Jenny giggled as her boyfriend began to tickle her.

"Please! Oh, stop, that tickles!"

Finally he stopped, but instead started to kiss her instead. Eventually she had pull away though she hated to do it.

"Mm, stop, my dad wants to meet you so we have to go!"

Eric shook his head.

"No, we can stay here…"

"No we have to go. It's my dad!"

He suddenly registered.

"Oh my god, your dad? But…he'll hate me! What with the whole depression and attempted suicide…"

Jenny kissed him.

"Don't worry about it. He'll be fine about it! Come on!"

x-x-x


End file.
